Fed up with men, but wanting a baby,
Storm Wellington decides to take matters into her own hands, randomly selecting
an obscure little town to find an unknowing sperm donor. Unknowingly, Storm
walks into a town run and owned by big cat shifters. River Black, Alpha of
Blacktown can’t believe his luck, finding his mate in his own town, even
better, the lovely lush woman is more than eager. After a passionate night,
Storm disappears without a trace, leaving River desperate to find her. Finally,
tracking her down, River discovers the evidence of her single parenthood plans
and is now pregnant with his cubs. River persuades Storm to return to Blacktown
with him, but another has her eye on River and is determined to rid the town of
any rival. In the sweltering heat of the Australian Summer, River must convince
Storm to be his mate and protect her or risk losing her forever.

Chapter One

Storm Wellington wanted a baby more than anything. It
was why she stood outside a bar in an obscure little place called Black Town.

Still, her desire did little to calm her
apprehension, making her stomach twist almost painfully. With a firm grip on
the door handle of the bar, she pushed it open, taking a few steps inside. The
wafting smell of beer and cigarette smoke hit her. The low pounding beat of
heavy rock music thumped in time with her frantically hammering heart. Work, damn you feet. She moved further
into the dim interior, her gaze landing on the long black bar.

The plan was simple: to find a man, any man, willing
to have no-strings-attached sex with her. She understood men well enough to
know free pussy wasn't something they would easily refuse.

Hell, it didn't have to be a one-night stand; she
would be well on her way once the deed was done. If you counted the removal of
clothes into the equation, what, a whole five to ten minutes?

Be strong. Be confident,
you can do this. She'd been chanting this same mantra since she'd left home. She chose
this particular spot at random, by placing her hand over her eyes, then
circling her finger before jabbing it at the map on her desk. Fate had decided
to take her to Black Town after a quick internet search, finding it contained
just what she needed; an out of the way bar and a motel room surrounded by
native Australian Forest. It was a three hour drive, but the further away the
place, the better. She plotted various seduction scenarios, along with timing
her visit during the peak of her fertility cycle.

Storm quickly scanned the interior, noticing an empty
stage at the back of the room with a small space where scattered round black
tables were nicely complemented by sturdy looking silver and black metallic
chairs. She spotted the cricket bat mounted on the wall behind the bar. With a
boldly printed score chart: Bat- eleven:
Bar patrons- zero. Did they get a lot
of bar fights?

Her gaze roamed over the dozen or so bar patrons who
stopped their low chatter to turn and stare at her. She saw why the place
featured solid bar furniture. Each and every man in the bar displayed strong
broad shoulders, thick firm necks, chiseled, handsome features and solid
muscle. A mix of awe and wonder hit her as she realized none of them would
weigh in at less than a hundred and eighty pounds. Wow! She'd struck genetic
gold! As for the few women littered amongst them clothed in only simple jeans
and t-shirts, they were, without exception, slim, bright eyed and cover-model
gorgeous.

Storm drew comfort from the factthe men outnumbered the
women. Panic threatened to rise. What if none of the men found her attractive
enough? Not allowing herself to back pedal, she made her way to the bar.

Even if she was a far cry from the apparent beauties
now surrounding her and clearly challenged in the height department, being only
five foot three, her grandmother always taught her being neat and clean easily
made up for her plain features.

She ran her hands down her skirt to smooth out the
wrinkles. It didn't matter how she looked, because now was certainly not the
time to be second-guessing herself. No doubts, just forward and onward, to do
what she came here to do then get the hell out.

She moved away from the door. On reaching the bar,
she smiled at the bartender and noticed him watching her with a curious
expression.

"Can I have a coke, please?"

He arched an orange eyebrow. "Just a Coke?"

Alcohol was not on the cards tonight, even if she did
desperately want something to calm her nerves and loosen the tension making nearly
every muscle in her body ache.

"Yes, just a Coke."

The man reached under the counter, pulled out the
trademark bottle and plonked it firmly on the counter before reaching for a
glass and setting it next to her chosen beverage. Storm glanced down, digging
around in her purse to pay for her drink.

Exotic dark chocolate eyes regarded her with
interest; his rich brown hair haphazardly stuck out on his head as though he
used his hand for a comb. Handsome, like every man in the bar, he would do
nicely.

"I'll have a Coke too, Ted, just add a touch of
hair in mine," he said with an impish smile. "So what's a lovely
little lady like you doing in a place like this?"

Smooth. A touch cheesy, but sweet.

"Just travelling through. I've got a room at the
motel for the night before heading home tomorrow. As the signs on the highway
say, drowsy drivers die." Her pre-prepared lie came out easily.

"Well, I'm sure glad you stopped in, sugar."
His grin was seductive.

Storm giggled and felt herself blush; maybe this
wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"I'm Storm."

"Storm, I like that. Hamish Brown, at your
service, little lady." He offered his hand.

Storm allowed her smile to widen before slipping her
hand into his warm one. Yes, his services would do nicely.